but, baby, it's cold outside
by xCaligula
Summary: Sally pays Eddie a visit for the holidays, because even he doesn't deserve to feel lonely at Christmas time. But she's lonely too, and New York gets pretty cold in the winter. Written for Christmas 2015.
The fact that Sally had rekindled her friendship with Eddie was not something that she let anyone else know. He had showed up unannounced one day in the summer, and she had been terrified, but he had been like a different person. There had been no hint of the anger she had witnessed the last time they had seen one another and he had been apologetic, seeming interested only in catching up.

So she had allowed him in and they had talked for a bit. He told her about his time overseas and what he was doing now, and she talked about her retirement and marriage- if she could really call it that. It had become very obvious that both of them were lonely, and that the spark that had been between them years ago was still there, but she let the solution to their loneliness hang in the air, and he did not utter a single proposition. If he still wanted her, he did not intend to try force this time.

They had gone their separate ways that day, but they had seen each other a few times throughout autumn, still not making any move to progress their relationship. But then it was December, and Sally, in her boredom, had tried her hand at baking. None of the neighbors liked her due to the reputation she had gained as the Silk Spectre, and she had hoped hand-delivering some baked goods might help that.

She knew that Eddie would be spending the holidays by himself; she had never known him to have anyone he was close to, and wondered where on earth his family was. It made her sad to imagine him having nothing to do and no one to see for Christmas, and decided that she would bake something for him as well. After all, she knew what being lonely was like all too well.

On December 23rd, she knocked on his door, and he was all too happy to let her in, asking, "Now, what brings a pretty little thing like you over to this side of town?" It was a joke, of course. He was doing well enough financially now that he actually lived somewhere quite nice.

"Just spreading a little holiday cheer," she replied, showing him the container in her hands. "I baked too many cookies, and I thought you might like some. It's an old recipe from...from my family." It was a Polish recipe, of course, but she still felt uncomfortable admitting to her heritage.

"Well, ain't that just the sweetest," he said with a grin. "Say, want somethin' to drink? Since you came all this way to give me those and all."

"I shouldn't," she said. "I need to get back home before it gets late."

"Aw, come on, are ya really gonna turn me down like that? It's been a couple weeks since the last time we talked. Just a couple drinks?"

Sally knew that there was a good chance it would end up being more than 'just a couple drinks', but her loneliness won out and she found herself saying, "If you insist," and taking off her coat.

Eddie hung it on a coat rack while she took a seat, looking back over his shoulder to say, "There's a record player on the table next to ya. Pick out somethin' ya wanna listen to, okay?"

She selected a record, surprised to find they had a similar taste in music, and let herself relax while he poured their drinks. When he handed her glass to her, their hands brushed and he hissed. "Your hands are freezing, Sal. Did ya forget your gloves?"

"I didn't think I'd need them," she replied, flinching as he took the glass back from her and took both of her hands in his. "It's not that cold."

"You kidding? New York in December?" He didn't let go of her hands, rubbing them and bringing them up to his mouth to breathe on them. Sally giggled, despite herself, before yanking her hands back.

"Eddie, I'm fine," she said, picking up her drink and taking a sip. "I'm inside now, anyway."

"Then why'd ya leave your hat on?" he asked.

"I'm just staying for a couple drinks, remember?"

"Doesn't matter," he replied, and snatched her hat before she could react. "Well, that's a relief. Thought maybe ya kept wearin' it cause you were hidin' something, but your hair's just as gorgeous as ever."

"Give me a break," she groaned, but she was smiling. She couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself, and that she was glad she had decided to stay. She always ended up enjoying herself when she was with Eddie, no matter how guilty that might make her feel.

They chatted for a while as her drink warmed her and opened her up a little more. She had become just a little bit more reserved since getting married; some fear in the back of her mind told her that she had to get being a wife right, no matter how unhappy the task might make her.

But soon enough, she looked at the time and realized it was getting late. "I think I'd better head out," she said, standing up.

"Already?" asked Eddie. "But we were just gettin' to talk!"

"I've been here for two hours," she said with a giggle. "I'm sorry, but if I stay out too late, Larry will-"

"He's not coming back into town until tomorrow afternoon," he replied. "Ya told me that earlier. He won't notice if you stay for another drink."

"Yes, but I'm sure some of my neighbors saw me leave. If any of them noticed how late I went home-"

"No one's gonna notice. And who gives a damn what your snotty neighbors think anyway? To hell with all of 'em, they're just jealous of ya anyway." He gave her that charming, easy smile that always warmed her a hell of a lot more than the alcohol ever did.

"Eddie, I can't...you know I can't," she said, and suddenly it was no longer a discussion about staying for a drink anymore. Suddenly, it was a discussion about what had really been on both of their minds since they had rekindled their friendship, a discussion about the undeniable _something_ that always hung in the air between them.

"C'mon, Sal, it's dark out there and it's December. You're gonna freeze, ya know?"

"I managed to get here without any problem," she argued weakly.

"Yeah, probably took a cab, but you're not gonna find one at this hour on the night before Christmas Eve," he said. "It's too cold out there, you should stay here. For your own safety, I mean."

"Eddie, I'm sure I could survive the trip home," said Sally.

"But what if ya don't? Someone could really catch their death in temperatures like this." He was smirking, at least half-kidding, but it was working. She didn't want to leave, and he was making staying sound like such a lovely idea. "Doncha think it's too cold to risk it?"

"If you're so concerned, why not let me take an extra coat?" It was an even weaker argument than before, but she was running out of excuses not to take him up on his offer and she knew that she could not hold out forever. She was lonely and she wanted him, and she knew he wanted her. It had been a long time since she had been with a man who really wanted her.

"You and I both know that won't really solve the problem," he said, moving in closer to her. He had always been taller than her, and she looked up at him, realizing all at once that there was no point in trying to resist. By coming here, she had already given in to her desires, and now she was just playing out the token resistance to make herself feel better later, to at least say that she tried.

"It is pretty cold," she agreed at last.

"Atta girl," he said with his usual smirk, and pulled her into his arms, and then her lips were on his.


End file.
